A TOWN centre furniture company's premises have been seriously damaged by a fierce fire.

Fire crews were forced to break in through metal doors to tackle the blaze at ESS Chair Frames, Blackburn, after being alerted by passers-by just after 7am.

Rush-hour traffic was held up as Vernon Street was closed off and smoke from the blaze could be seen throughout the town.

Firefighters sent into the building to tackle the flames were forced to withdraw amid fears they would get caught in a backdraft.

Station Officer Kevin Gibson said four fire crews were called to the scene and added: "The building was really secure and we had great difficulty getting in.

"All the doors were locked, there were metal doors and a roller shutter.

"As it was so secure and an enclosed environment there was little air in the building and this would have led to a great potential of a backdraft. We deployed breathing apparatus crews, but the situation got worse and we had to withdraw them.

"We then fought the fire from the outside in a process called defensive firefighting."

The cause of the fire in the small, one-storey brick building is not thought to be suspicious.

Mr Gibson added: "It was stacked high with wood and chairs. There was a lot of fuel in there for the fire. We are still trying to get hold of the owner. We don't know yet what started it, but most of the contents have been destroyed. I don't know what the future holds for the company. We need to have a look at that when we finish the fire."

Angela Mooney, owner of Snack Attack in Vernon Street, called the emergency services when she saw the smoke at 7.10am.

She said: "I turned up and I saw smoke coming out of the roof and the windows. It was a huge fire and I called the fire brigade straight away.

"They couldn't get in when they first got here. They were trying to break the top floor windows. We don't know the owners really, but the people working there come in for cups of tea.

Andy Shorrock who works at Cyril Unsworths Limited, a van hire company across the road.

"When I came on the train this morning at about 20 to eight I saw smoke. My heart went I can tell you."